| "23 Minutes Over Brussels" | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance by Suicide from the album Suicide (Reissue) | |||||||
| Released | 2000 | ||||||
| Recorded | Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, June 16, 1978 | ||||||
| Genre | Synthpop, industrial, punk rock | ||||||
| Length | 22:56 | ||||||
| Writer | Alan Vega/Martin Rev | ||||||
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23 Minutes Over Brussels is a recording of a live performance by Suicide on June 16, 1978 at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium, while they were supporting Elvis Costello and The Clash. The show, as with the band, was unheard of for years, but it was released in 2000 with the reissue of the band's self-titled debut album.[1] The performance is an example of the public reaction to the band's sound, and is considered by some[2] as defining moment in punk history.
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A of the band, Howard Thompson, recorded the performance on cassette tape and it was later released as a flexi-disc insert for a music magazine.[3] In 2000, while Mute Records was re-releasing Suicide's cataglog, the tape was remastered and included as a bonus track for their first album. The whole performance is put into one song.
Before Suicide even start playing, booing can be heard from the crowd, showing that they wanted to hear the main act, Elvis Costello, straight away. The band are announced and begin to play "Ghost Rider". Once it ends, there is booing from the crowd. The second song played is "Rocket U.S.A". After that, at roughly 9:30 into the recording, the audience can be heard chanting "ELVIS! ELVIS!". This attitude continues towards the band throughout the third and fourth songs, "Cheree" and "Dance".
The audience becomes more active during the performance of "Frankie Teardrop". At roughly 19:30 in the recording, loud applause can be heard; someone steals Alan Vega's microphone (a woman at 20:35 can be heard saying "They took the mic"). Soon the music stops and the promoter comes on, warning them that if they don't give it back, there will be "no show". Vega joins in, swearing at the audience. After receiving the microphone, he continues to sing "Frankie Teardrop" a cappela. After even more booing, the recording's most famous moment occurs when Vega shouts "SHUT THE FUCK UP! THIS IS ABOUT FRANKIE!". A few moments later, there is rapturous applause as the band leave the stage.
Later, Elvis Costello played a very short and angry set, which incited a riot. The show was cancelled and Vega's nose was broken. The story is detailed in the liner notes of the 2000 re-release.[4][5]
The band would only become famous after their main career, during the 1980s and 90s, influencing many bands and shaping genres such as industrial music, dance music and notably electroclash. This performance has been called "A record of proof of an innovative band’s struggle with an unreceptive audience" and has been noted as similar to Bob Dylan's audience reactions to him going electric. It also said that it "clearly demonstrates two individuals flying in the face of convention, screaming their guts out to be heard, and failing to make a poignant imprint on the listening audience".[4] Allmusic said that "though the (reissues) extra tracks dilute the original album's impact somewhat, they're worthwhile supplements to one of the punk era's most startlingly unique works".[6] In review of their debut album for 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Chris Shade called it a "riotous comedy", and noted that "(their) lack of rock 'n' roll accoutrements such as a drummer or guistarist often aroused violent reactions in their bewildered audiences".[2]